“It’s a dream come true. I’ve always wanted this, and I’ve always worked for this."
Since the age of 12, Anthony Ramirez has been a local standout. Growing up with the FC Dallas Academy, he was able to move up the ranks and ultimately achieve his first professional contract with North Texas SC at just 18 years old. Despite reaching this at such a young age, he shows no signs of stopping soon and is ecstatic to see where his soccer career continues to take him.
The Dallas native has lit up the scene both nationally and internationally. He joined the Academy in 2013 at 12 years old and played alongside FC Dallas’ Nolan Norris. Ramirez was a frequent starter and tallied over 30 goals throughout his time with the academy. He also competed in and won the Dallas Cup, an extremely competitive invite-only tournament featuring teams from around the globe. Ramirez stated that FC Dallas' impact on where he is today was tremendous.
“I think it’s the best academy in the U.S.,” Ramirez said. “It’s a great place to be, from the facilities and coaches to the staff and teammates. It’s a good environment to be in.”
Ramirez has been highly sought after by the youth national teams. Thanks to his dual citizenship, he is eligible to represent the United States and Mexico. Both nations have called upon Ramirez multiple times throughout the last four years for various camps and tournaments. “They’re great experiences; you learn a lot and can keep growing. You experience a lot of high-level competition,” he said.
In 2019, Ramirez was called up to the U.S. U-15 Youth National Team to play in the UEFA Development Tournament in Poland. The team played against Iceland, Poland, and Russia. He traveled to California three years later for the U.S. U-19 Men’s Youth National Team training camp.
Between his stints with the United States Youth National Teams, Mexico has also been eager to utilize his talent. Ramirez was called upon for Mexico’s U-16 training camp in 2021. In the years that followed, he was repeatedly named to various rosters. At 16, he was called up to compete in the Antalya Cup in Turkey with Mexico’s U-18 Men’s Youth National Team. He had previously played in two friendlies against Ireland with the team. Clearly, Ramirez impressed the coaching staff, as it is uncommon to be playing a year up for a youth national team. The next year, he was invited to compete in the Slovenia Nations Cup, where the team faced the United Arab Emirates, Slovenia, and Portugal.
At the beginning of this year, Ramirez was named to the U-20 Mexico roster for the Torneo del Sol hosted in Guadalajara. He boasts 14 international caps and 1 goal for Mexico’s youth teams. Ramirez is grateful for his experiences with both countries, noting that his dedication has helped get him there. “I think the high-level competition is one of the things that has shaped me. That and my work rate.”
Ramirez began playing for North Texas in 2023 while he was still in the FC Dallas Academy. He made his debut on March 25 in a game against LAFC2. During his first season, he was named MLS NEXT Rising Star of Matchday 11 after scoring two goals in six minutes against LA Galaxy II. He registered 14 appearances, two goals, and two assists during the season. Ramirez is excited and proud to continue his journey with the team: “It’s a good, solid group. We’ve been working and working, and we’re ready for the first game of the season.”
In terms of what he wishes to accomplish this next year, it centered around the team winning the championship.“We always talk about the championship. We want to bring it home again. I believe that we can achieve it.”
